In celebration of its 65th anniversary, Barbie is honoring nine trailblazing women athletes from around the world by creating one-of-a-kind Role Model dolls in their likeness. This initiative aims to inspire young girls to stay in sports and recognize their full potential, highlighting the significant impact of sports in fostering self-confidence, ambition, and empowerment.
Barbie Dream Gap Project and Partnerships
This initiative is part of Barbie's broader commitment to leveling the playing field for girls globally, both in sports and beyond. Through the Barbie Dream Gap Project, the brand aims to close the "Dream Gap"—the time when girls start to doubt their potential.
Barbie has partnered with VOICEINSPORT, a digital sport platform, to extend its impact through virtual mentoring sessions throughout the year. These sessions are designed to provide young girls with the guidance and support they need to pursue their interests in sports.
Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls at Mattel, Inc. expressed her excitement about the new Barbie Role Models, stating, "Barbie is thrilled to continue the brand's 65th-anniversary celebration by recognizing the impact of sports in fostering self-confidence, ambition, and empowerment among the next generation."
Amplifying Voices and Inspiring Leaders
By recognizing these athletes and their accomplishments, Barbie aims to amplify their voices and inspire the next generation of women leaders in sports. The brand's commitment to empowering girls is evident through its various initiatives, partnerships, and collaborations, all designed to encourage girls to believe in their limitless possibilities.
Lisa McKnight , Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls at Mattel, highlighted the importance of this initiative, stating, "Sports play a critical role in developing leadership skills, teamwork, and perseverance. By celebrating these incredible athletes, we hope to inspire young girls to stay in sports and realize their full potential."
Honoring Trailblazing Athletes
Among the celebrated athletes is American Professional Tennis Player Venus Williams, who has been a powerful advocate for breaking boundaries and staying true to oneself.
Williams expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "I'm honored to be recognized as a sports role model and join forces with Team Barbie to continue empowering the next generation of young girls."
Venus Williams (United States): Tennis Player
One of the most decorated Olympic athletes with four gold medals and the first woman in tennis to earn equal prize money at Wimbledon, Venus Williams has courageously persevered through countless obstacles to inspire social change within tennis and the sports industry at large.
Christine Sinclair (Canada): Soccer Player
As soccer’s greatest international scorer with 190 goals to her name, Christine Sinclair has solidified her status as the most successful soccer player from Canada [of all time].
Mary Fowler (Australia): Football Player
At just 21 years old, Mary Fowler has become a key player for the Matildas and Manchester City football teams. She was selected for the FIFA World Cup in 2019 and became the team’s youngest player at 16 years old. Since then, she has been to two FIFA World Cups and the 2020 Olympic Games.
Estelle Mossely (France): Boxer
Crowned Olympic champion in 2016 and has won numerous professional and world amateur boxing titles.
Alexa Moreno (Mexico): Gymnast
As Mexico’s first female world medalist in gymnastics, Alexa Moreno is recognized by Forbes Mexico as one of the 100 most powerful women in Mexico.
Rebeca Andrade (Brazil): Gymnast
Olympic gold and silver medalist, Rebeca Andrade is regarded as one of the best gymnast of all time. The Brazilian girl is a two-time World Championship champion and has won more than ten medals in World Cups.
Susana Rodriguez (Spain): Paratriathlon Athlete
Born with albinism, Susana Rodriguez began running at age 10 and has since become a barrier-breaking paratriathlon athlete. She has not only set records in her sport, but she doubled as a young doctor on the front lines amid the pandemic, earning her the cover of TIME magazine in 2021.
Federica Pellegrini (Italy): Swimmer
Federica Pellegrini, a former swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, is the first woman to break the 4:00 barrier in the 400m freestyle. Right after her last competitions in 2020, she got an important international recognition: election to the IOC Athletes Commission.
Ewa Swoboda (Poland): Track and Field Sprinter
Top ranked European sprinter Ewa Swoboda’s determination, talent, and fearless nature have served as a source of inspiration for young girls across the globe. She is a three-time European Indoor Championship medalist, as well as a World Indoor Championship medalist, holding the world lead of 7.01 seconds in the 60-meter race.
UNLOCKING MENTORSHIP FOR GIRLS IN SPORT WITH VOICEINSPORT
To encourage girls to stay in sports, Barbie is extending its partnership with VOICEINSPORT, a global digital platform that connects and inspires girls and women in sports through mentorship, educational content, and expert services, to help support and empower the next generation of women leaders in sports to thrive.
Through this partnership, Barbie and VOICEINSPORT will host inspirational virtual mentoring sessions with Barbie Role Models on the VOICEINSPORT platform, designed to encourage girls to pursue their interest in sports.
The sessions will be free to attend and continue into 2025. Girls in sports ages 12+ may sign up at https://voiceinsport.com/barbie to unlock free mentoring with Barbie Role Models and educational content.
"As a young girl and now a mother of a young girl in sports, unlocking access to professional athlete mentors on the VOICEINSPORT platform with Team Barbie is a dream come true,” said Stef Strack, Founder of Voice in Sport™, VIS™. “We built VOICEINSPORT to bring more visibility to women athletes globally so that girls around the world would be inspired to dream big and build confidence to stay in the game.”
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